A BOATMAN has been ordered to pay a total of £615 for travelling recklessly along the River Thames between Walton and Sunbury in a speedboat.

On March 12, Staines Magistrates' Court found Ian Showell guilty of navigating a speedboat at an unsafe speed with undue care to other people, boats and wildlife.

The court heard that concerned onlookers called the police after spotting Showell speeding on the river on May 18 last year.

Andrew Graham, waterways operation manager for the Environment Agency, said: "Driving without due caution is not tolerated on the River Thames and I am pleased that this incident was reported and Mr Showell fined accordingly.

"The witnesses were extremely concerned about the effects of the wash from the boat to the wildlife nesting nearby and people on smaller crafts who could have been in danger."

Showell, from Chessington, was fined £200, and also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £400 and a victim surcharge of £15.

Mr Graham added: "We are pleased with the fines that have been handed out following this prosecution.

"We take speeding and driving without due care very seriously as excessive wash causes untold damage to the environment and other boats."